1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the crushing or digestion of used fluorescent lamps. More specifically, the present invention relates to a combined crushing system whereby the various components, combined in creating lamps, are crushed, cleaned and classified using one mechanical motion. Further cleaning is achieved with the addition of an air knife. Due to simplify, this invention can be made small enough to function easily as a portable or mobile unit. A deflate distinction is made between the separated components into clean glass, clean metal ends and mercury rich phosphor powder.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Fluorescent lamps have long been recognized as an efficient lighting source. They have been equally recognized as a difficult waste to dispose of due to the presence of metallic mercury and mercury vapor inside the lamps for operational purposes.
Due to the bulky, fragile nature of fluorescent lamps, it becomes readily evident that conventional crushing merely to reduce the volume, or partial seperation techniques after crushing do not sufficiently deal with costly and/or potentially hazardous problems of handling lamps during storage, transportation to a recycling facility and/or disposal or recycling options of the end waste streams generated by partial seperation techniques.
Following is a study of these issues . . . crushing, classification of lamp components during processing and mobile use of this technology relative to this industry:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,352 issued Jan. 2, 1940 to C. F. Peters discloses a foot operated hammer designed to impact a bottle in an inclined chute; thereby breaking it and permitting the fractured pieces to fall into a collection receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,558,255 issued Jun. 26, 1951 to N. E. Johnson et al. discloses a remote control motor driven glass fracturing apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,756 issued Nov. 21, 1967 to D. J. Morgenson discloses a horizontal high speed rotating hammer blade where bottles are dropped through chute and struck as much as 60 times for each second it remains in the contact zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,138 issued Apr. 11, 1972 to G. A. Luscombe discloses a plurality or ratating hammer blades where deflecting blades are arranged to enhance distribution of fractured glass after impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,886 issued Jun. 17, 1975 to J. D. Spivey discloses a waste bottle fractuing device where rate of entrance of bottles is regulated via baffles which slow down entrance speed. Multiple rotating arm blades, with baffles, prevent glass from being ejected upwardly out of the crusher.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,657 issued Apr. 22, 1952 to A. J. Coon et al. discloses a reciprocating crusher designed to crush fluorescent tubes. Coon attempts to contain free floating phosphor dust by venting it "to the outer atmosphere wherupon it is safely dispersed into space". Although Coon reduces the volume and trys to create safe operating conditions, his efforts are grossly inadequate and he does nothing in the way of filtering harmful emissions or classifying lamp components into distinct gruoups i.e. glass, ends and powder. Coon's process could be construed as mobile due to simplicity in design but would not meet current safety levels.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,988 issued Dec. 9, 1952 to E. H. Tellier discloses continuous flushing of water at the fracturing zone. Dust is kept from entering the air space however nothing is done to classify fractured material. In addition, he has introduced water which is now hazardous and the end result is worse than before processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,628,036 issued Feb. 10, 1953 to J. B. Hall discloses another fluorescent lamp disposal system where water is introduced to control hazardous components. Lamps are pained lengthwise down a tubular inlet; are progressively fractured into pieces by rotating hammers. Some attempt is made to classify out metal end caps for recycling by means of magnetic forces. This method is too cumbersome to be mobile and classification with water in the system is messy.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,866,604 issued Dec. 30, 1958 to J. B. Hall discloses a fluorescent lamp disposal device where rotary arms impacts lamp. Air drawn through lamp loading mechanism to attempt better vapor control. Arrangement bathed in water during breaking,
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,849 issued Oct. 21, 1975 to I. M. Atanasoff et al. discloses a fluorescent lamp digester or crusher. Mercury and other fluorescent materials, have not been separated sufficiently from the supporting and confining materials, i.e. glass to allow safe handling. His system is designed to mount on top a barrel with a downward draft drawn through a filter arrangement and out removing mercury vapor and phosphor powder. No real attempt to classify.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,527 issued Mar. 3, 1992 to T. J. Perry et al. discloses a digesting system for disposal and seperation of component materials using a series of countercurrent air streams. The system is operated under negative air pressure to control and capture hazardous vapors and dust. Lamps are inserted into a tubular opening where impact with a rotary blade and seperation begin. Perry's system is too bulky to be mobile and he does not classify component materials enough. Glass and metal ends are deposited in two of three cyclone chambers. The third chamber is a bag house for vapor and dust collection. Air speeds are high around 6,000 to 7,500 feet per second making vapor containment difficult. Crushing is seperate from seperation. All seperation is done via air flow in the cyclones. Seperated component materials are dropped down through the cyclones into a large holding tank No good classification for recycling options once process is completed.
Consequently, the need still exists for a method and means that is economical, convenient and effective in treating or digesting used lamps that crushes, deans and classifies materials but is small enough to be operated as an economical mobile system.